Piece By Piece
by AsthaRen
Summary: Lee is hospitalized once again and finds himself being tricked by Sakura into keeping one of her patients company. Lee learns the tragic story behind the fragile girl and promises to be with her as she's going through a life changing experience.


**Disclaimer: **None of this belongs to me!! Only Tsuki and the idea for this belongs to me, otherwise, it all belongs to Masashi Kishimoto

"Lee, don't you dare take another step towards that door." Sakura warned with narrowed eyes as she went over the papers in her hands. "I don't want you running off going overboard on training again."

I sighed in defeat and retreated on my crutches back to the hospital bed. "I'm sorry Sakura-chan. But I need to train!" I told her, determination burning within my eyes.

"No you don't Lee." Sakura retorted as she flipped to a new page. "You need to rest. Even a day's rest would help you." She started. "Lee, you just got back from a mission unconscious, and covered in blood yesterday. It's amazing that you're conscious and can actually talk, let alone walk around. But you shouldn't push your self. You'll be fine in about four days Lee, but that doesn't mean you can go back to training to the extreme with Gai-sensei." She said and turned to me with soft smile. "Would you just rest for a few days, for me?" She asked in a sweet tone.

I practically melted when I saw that and nodded numbly. " Yes, of course! Anything to see that sweet, youthful smile of yours!" I finished with a broad grin.

Sakura chuckled quietly to herself as she tucked a strand of her bubble gum pink hair behind her ear. "Now Lee. I have another patient to attend to, but I very well can't leave you alone now can I?" She asked raising an eye brow at me slightly. "I'll need you to come with me so I can keep an eye on you. Just as long as you don't push yourself, you can use your crutches and won't have to be pushed around in a wheelchair. So can I trust you not to run off when I'm not looking?" She asked.

I sat up straight and saluted to her, "Of course Sakura-chan! Do not worry, I shall not leave your side!" I grinned broadly.

"Alright then, come on Lee." Sakura said and motioned for me to follow her. And that was the beginning of the day that I met Tsuki Mizumi.

"Sakura-chan?" I started as I followed behind her on my crutches, "How long will I be under your watch?" I asked, watching her carefully. Only now did I notice how much Sakura had changed since Naruto had left training with Jiraiya. They both had been gone for about a year and half, and things were pretty normal, but somewhat boring.

"Well…." Sakura's voice trailed off quietly as she tapped her chin. "Most of the day at least. You're staying here at the hospital for a few nights so we can keep you under surveillance." Yep that's right. I was in the hospital. _Again. _Perhaps I should explain. A week ago, I had left with my team, Neji Hyuuga, Tenten, and Gai-sensei to find a small team of rouge ninjas that were banning together. After searching and gathering information, we found where they were staying, but by the time we got there, it was deserted. Or that's what we believed anyway. They were hiding, and were waiting for us. _Anticipating us. _They ambushed us in hopes of defeating us, but the power of youth completely shattered their hopes of victory. Yet due to my carelessness, I let my guard down, and I was struck from behind. The wound would have been fatal if Tenten had not thrown herself into the enemy. In the end, both Tenten and I were wounded. Though they said my wounds were much more serious than hers. On the way back to the village, I had apparently passed out from blood loss. Yet I awoke the next day to see Sakura standing in my room with a sweet smile.

"Hello Tsuki, how're you feeling today?" Sakura's sweet voice brought me back into reality.

"I'm feeling very well Sakura-chan, thank you." A soft voice replied.

I blinked as I followed Sakura into the small, dim hospital room to see a petite, bony girl, apparently named Tsuki, in a hospital gown sitting on the bed. Her skin was milky white, just like her long flowing white hair that seemed to reach the middle of her back, bangs covering her forehead. Her eyes were a very dim foggy blue that seemed to be staring at the wall in front of her.

My brow furrowed in confusion when I saw how pale her skin was, then raised an eye brow when I saw that this room had now window. '_That would explain her skin color….But why keep her in a room with no sunlight?'_ I wondered.

"Glad t hear it." Sakura said cheerfully as she walked beside the hospital bed and put her clipboard on the small table next to the bed. "Has anything changed since we switched your medication?" Sakura asked a she checked the IV.

Tsuki pressed her lips together tightly before answering quietly, "I'm sorry Sakura, but no. Nothing's changed." She replied, her small hands gently gripping the bed sheets.

I looked over her curiously as I walked on my crutches to the front of the bed, in front of Tsuki, wondering, _'What's wrong with her? She doesn't have any wounds…And she doesn't seem like she's dying…'_ I thought, then blinked when I noticed her eyes were fixed on me. I smiled nervously, "Oh hello there. My name's Rock Lee." I introduced.

Tsuki's eyes widened and she tensed immediately after she heard my voice. "O-Oh….Sakura-chan, you didn't tell me that you had brought a friend." She said and took in a large breath.

Sakura blinked and looked back at Tsuki, then at me. She nodded in understanding when she saw the confused look on my face. "Oh sorry about that. Tsuki, this is Rock Lee. He's a chunin, like me." She started, then turned to me, "Lee, this is Tsuki Mizumi, she's been staying here in the hospital for about four years now." Sakura explained.

I glanced over at Tsuki, then at Sakura with a questioning look. As I opened my mouth to speak, Sakura quickly pulled me away and into the hallway, "Tsuki I'll be right back ok?" She said before shutting the door then turning to Me.

I raised an eye brow at Sakura and asked, "Sakura, why did she-"

"She's blind." Sakura cut him off, her tone quiet. "Tsuki's blind Lee. When you spoke suddenly, you startled her because she thought that I was the only one in the room." She explained.

I stood there, frozen to that very spot as my mind registered Sakura's word. "She's….Blind?" I asked.

Sakura gave a grim nod. "Yes. She was born blind. Not only that but….." Her voice trailed off as she looked down at the floor.

"And what else Sakura-chan?" I asked eagerly.

"She's…Paralyzed from the waist down." Sakura explained. "She told us that when she was eight years old, she lived in a small town very close to here. Her town was attacked and a few rouge ninja broke into her home." Sakura started quietly. "Tsuki said that in the middle of the night she heard her mother scream and her father yelling. She said that she made her way through the hallway. Once she made it to the living room, the screaming and yelling stopped. She said that she tripped over something. The thing she tripped over was her mother….The ninjas had killed her mother and father, and she heard it all. Then…Well it's hard to say what happened next, Tsuki broke down in tears at that point, but she mumbled something about her starting to scream her mom and dad's name, and then she heard someone move. She thought it was her parents so she went towards the sound but…..The ninjas who killed her parents hadn't left." Sakura paused for a moment to take in a large breath before continuing. "One of the men grabbed her and well….He was going to….." Her hands clenched into fists as she spat the next few words out with utter disgust. "He was going to rape her. But she screamed and kicked and kicked to get away from him. Yet he must have got impatient because he took a kunai and he….He must have stabbed her in both legs multiple times. And because of that…Tsuki's paralyzed from the waist down now too…." Sakura explained to me.

I couldn't even blink. My mind hadn't registered everything Sakura had just explained to me in a mere minute or two. My head was tilted to the side slightly as I looked down at my feet, my eyes dark as I let out a long sigh. "She was eight years old?" I asked and glanced up at Sakura only to see her give a grim nod. "And how old is she now?"

"Fourteen." Sakura replied grimly.

I lowered my eyes to ground and sniffed thinking, _'She's fourteen….She's been blind for all her life….And to have her parents and her legs taken away from her six years ago…How tragic all of that must have been for her. And here she is, in a hospital being treated for…..'_

"Um…Sakura-chan?" I asked suddenly, my brow furrowing in confusion. "If all of this happened so many years ago, why is she in a hospital and not in a home with her own helper of some sort?" I asked.

Sakura blinked when she heard my question. "Oh, right. Well Tsuki doesn't have any family that were willing to live with her and help her around home. She also doesn't have any money so she can't hire a helper…So she decided to just stay here at the hospital. Tsuki said that she felt safer here anyway. And while she's here, Tsunade-sama decided to do some research to see if there was anything we could do to help her condition." The pink haired kunoichi explained.

I nodded in understanding.. My eyes suddenly widened as tears flowed down my cheeks. "Oh how tragic! To have no one that would want to take care of you in your time of need!! And despite that, to actually go on in hopes of getting better!" I cried out, my hands clenched into fists. "This girl is an inspiration to us all!" I shouted with joy, my eyes sparkling as tears flowed down my cheeks.

"Lee, you know Tsuki can hear you, right?" Sakura asked with a raised eye brow, her arms crossed over her chest. "She might have taken what you said the wrong way."

I silenced immediately and stood up straight. I gave a nervous laugh as I leaned to the side to look into Tsuki's room to see her head bent forward, her hair covering her face.

"Oh, it seems she did hear me…." I muttered with a long sigh, my shoulders drooping.

"Why don't you go in and apologize to her Lee?" Sakura suggested with a small smile forming. "I'm all done checking on her for today, and I still have a lot of patients left, so why don't you just stay here with Tsuki? I'm sure she'd love the company anyway." Sakura said as she lightly pushed me back towards Tsuki's room, a devious smirk spreading over her lips as she thought. '_Lee's not the type of person to sneak off and leave a blind, paralyzed girl by herself. He's too noble for that which means I don't have to worry about him training.'_

"Do you really think that's ok Sakura-chan?" I asked as he glanced back at her. "What if after I apologize she's still unhappy with me?" I asked, my tone filled with worry.

"Don't worry about it Lee, everything's gonna be fine. Just try, for me?" She asked with a small smile gracing her lips.

Almost instantly I stood up straight with a determined look on my face as I saluted. "Of course Sakura-chan! Anything for you!"

Sakura merely smiled and giggled lightly at me. "Thanks Lee. Now I have to go, and be carefully when you're with Tsuki, she's really fragile." She warned before turned her back to me and walking down the hallway.

I grinned broadly as I watched her walk, then sighed as I adjusted myself on my crutches and carefully made my way to the door. After slowly slipping into the room, Tsuki sat up straight.

"Sakura-chan?" She questioned, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"No, it's me Lee. Sakura-chan is very busy today and had other patients to tend to, so she decided to leave me here and keep you company." I explained with a nervous laugh.

Tsuki seemed to look down slightly and sighed. "Oh ok…You're name is Rock Lee, correct?" She asked quietly.

I nodded silently, then blushed when I realized she couldn't see me. "Yes. And your name is Tsuki Mizumi?" I asked nervously.

I watched as she gave a small, careful nod. "Yes."

We each stood/sat there in awkward silence until I finally broke the silence. "Um Tsuki," I started while nervously rubbing the back of my head. "D-Did you….Hear me a few minutes ago while I was out in the hallway with S-Sakura-chan?" I stuttered as I carefully sat myself down in one of the white chairs.

I watched as Tsuki tensed slightly, her head bent forward. "Yes….I did…" She answered quietly, her small frail handles rubbing against each other.

"I see…." I sighed as I looked down at my hands. I looked up at her and opened my mouth to speak.

"I-" We both started simultaneously. "Oh sorry, you first." I said.

Tsuki gave a slight nod. "Ok….I think it's really nice that you think I'm an inspiration. No one has ever thought of me like that." She admitted.

I blinked and leaned forward in my chair. "R-Really!? You're not mad at me?" I asked.

Tsuki blinked and sat up straight with a confused look on her face. "Mad? Why would I be mad at you?" She asked, her head tilted to the side slightly, her foggy eyes still gazing at the wall infront of her.

I blinked, my mouth slightly open. "Oh…I-I just thought that you'd be offended by what I said…." I murmured.

Slowly, a small, soft smile crept upon her lips. Yet it vanished in a second. "You called me an inspiration, how could I be mad you for that? Everything else you said was true, but still, it means a lot." Tsuki said quietly.

I couldn't help the large grin that spread across my lips. "Oh I'm so glad!! I thought for sure that you'd be mad at me." I yelled and sighed loudly in relief. My grin widened even more when I saw her giggle quietly to herself.

"No of course not." Tsuki said, smiling lightly, "It takes quite a lot for me to get mad at someone." She explained.

* * *

"So how long will you be in the hospital Lee?" Tsuki questioned. We had spent the last three hours in Tsuki's hospital room, talking about our lives. Of course, we mainly talked about my life, not wanting to bring up any bad memories for Tsuki-chan.

"Hm…That is hard to say…" My voice trailed off as I rubbed the back of my head. "If I had to guess, I'd say…About two or three days." I answered.

I blinked in confusion when I saw Tsuki frown and lower her head. "Oh ok…I just though that, from the way you described your injuries, you'd be hospitalized just a bit longer." She stated.

I gave a nervous laugh and sighed with a small smile. "Nope. Not even injuries like these can keep Konoha's Handsome Beast down for more than a few days!" I yelled out, pumping my fists into the air. I grinned broadly when I saw Tsuki smile and giggle quietly to herself.

"I see. You're very determined aren't you Lee?" She asked, tucking a strand of her snow white hair behind her ear.

I nodded, "Oh yes. I have to get better ASAP and start training again with Gai-sensei." I said with a bright grin upon my face.

Tsuki's soft smile widened just barely an inch as she remembered my sensei, someone I had mentioned quite a lot in the past few hours.

"Ah yes…Your sensei. He sounds like a very…Interesting man. I hope I'll be able to meet him." She stated.

I grinned broadly and nodded. "Of course! I'll introduce you two right away!"

Tsuki smiled softly and giggled quietly. "I can't wait." She then grew silent. The silence lasted for a few minutes, yet it wasn't an awkward silence, it was a nice, comfortable one.

I raised an eye brow slightly to myself when I noticed Tsuki rubbing her hands in a nervous way and lightly bite her lip. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, the alarm clock on the bed stand went off.

"Oh! It's six already…Amazing, today went by so fast…" She murmured to herself.

My brow furrowed in confusion. "Um...Tsuki-chan. Why is your alarms clock going off?" I asked hesitantly.

Tsuki let out a quick laugh. "Oh right, sorry. I have Sakura set my alarm clock to go off at 6 in the morning, and 6 at night. So then I know when the sun is rising, and when it's setting." She explained to me. "It was sort of a habit when I lived with my parents…" Tsuki added quietly.

I lowered my head and sighed under my breath at hearing that. "I see…" My voice trailed off quietly. My eyes widened in surprise when a sudden though occurred to me. "Tsuki, when was the last time you were outside?" I asked.

Tsuki pressed her lips together, pondering the thought. "Oh…It's been such a long time….The last time I was outside would probably have to be when I was being transferred into a different section in the hospital." She replied. "So probably about a year now."

"WHAT!?" I shouted as I stood up from my seat instantly, yet stumbled slightly and clung to my crutches. "That's insane! That's not right! That's not…It's not good!" I shouted as I slowly walked over to her.

"Well it's not like it matters much, does it?' Tsuki questioned, her brow furrowing in confusion. "I can't exactly see it. And I take vitamins too Lee."

"I know that! But that doesn't matter. You should still be able to feel the wind rush through you hair and feel the sun on your skin! Besides, it's good for you to be outside."

Tsuki raised an eye brow slightly at my statement. "Oh really? Well….I could go out in my wheelchair, but I'd need someone to push me…"

"There's no need for a wheelchair when I can carry you." I grinned.

"But Lee, what about your injuries?" She questioned

"It is nothing to worry about, I am perfectly capable to carry a pretty young woman outside." I stated as I slowly put my crutches down by my chair and slowly made my over to her.

Tsuki's cheeks turned a light pink at hearing that. "A-Are you sure? You won't hurt yourself will you?" She asked.

"Of course not. I'll be fine. Now I'm going to give you a piggy back ride ok? I'll latch your legs around my waist and you put my arms around my neck all right?" I asked.

Tsuki nodded hesitantly. "O-Ok…Just tell me when to latch my arms around your neck? And please tell me if you're in pain ok?"

"Don't worry, I will if that happens." I assured her as I slowly moved over to her. I pulled the hospital sheet from her and slowly put her legs around my waist, my hands holding her thighs tightly. "Ok now put yours arms around my neck."

Tsuki hesitantly brought her arms around my neck, latching herself to me.

"Ok, now just hang on." I told her. "But not to tight ok?" I added. I felt Tsuki nodded as she laid her head on my shoulder nervously. With that, I carefully sprinted off, carefully, out of her room and down the long white hallway. I ignored the light blush that slowly spread across my cheeks as I felt Tsuki's hot breath trailing down my neck.

"H-How long will it take to get outside?"

"Not to long. Just a few more minutes." I replied. I chuckled lightly under my breath when I received many strange stares from nurses and other patients.

"Do you know if the sun has set yet?" Tsuki asked suddenly.

I gave a small shrug as I continued to carry her. "I'm not sure. But I doubt it though. If it has set already, then I'll bring you somewhere else, somewhere special like a nice little pond." I said with a bright smile.

Tsuki smiled softly at hearing that, her head resting comfortably on my shoulder. "Thank you Lee…So much." She whispered in a sweet tone.

I grinned brightly to myself as I carried Tsuki down the hospital hallways, yet I cringed when I felt my muscles and stitches tighten from the sudden movement. I began to walk as I approached the exits. After using my foot to open the door and carefully walk outside, a nice warm breeze blew threw us. Tsuki's grip on me tightened slightly, yet relaxed and smiled softly to herself as she felt the wind blow threw her hair.

"Ah…Lee this feels so nice…" She whispered as I brought her over onto a small bridge like thing, a pond with Koi fish below us.

I smiled at hearing that and turned my head slightly to see the sun. "The sun is just now setting...We made it in time.." I said quietly and sighed in relief.

I felt Tsuki relax considerably, her head resting on my shoulder as she felt the warmth from the sun against her skin. "Thank you Lee, for bringing me out here." She said quietly. "I just wish I could watch the sun set with you.." Tsuki added quietly.

My smile vanished when I heard Tsuki speak. I gave a small nod, my eyes darkening, "Yeah…Me too Tsuki-chan."

………………………………...........................................................................

"Good morning Lee, I hope you slept we-" Sakura's words trailed off as she walked into my hospital room, only to find me on the ground doing push ups. "Lee! What did I tell you yesterday!? You're supposed to be resting, not training!!" She screeched, causing me to crawl back in fear, laughing nervously.

"A-Ah I'm sorry S-Sakura-chan! I was extremely bored and couldn't go back to sleep so I thought maybe a little exercise would be good for my body." I stuttered, rubbing the back of my neck nervously.

Sakura gritted her teeth, her hands clenched into fists tightly as she stalked towards me. Just as she was about to yell and lecture me, Sakura stopped suddenly, all her anger had vanished. _'I don't have time for this…I need to check with Tsuki right away.'_ She thought with a sweet smile spreading across her lips.

"Lee, wanna come with me to go see Tsuki?" She asked cheerfully.

Almost instantly I was on my feet, crutches in hand, and was walking quickly to the door.

………………………………...........................................................................

"Morning Tsuki-chan!" I greeted eagerly as I entered her room, Sakura holding the door for me.

I grinned brightly when I saw a smile spread across Tsuki's lips, "Ah good morning Lee-kun. How are you?" She asked, her head turning to the direction where my voice came from. "Is Sakura-chan with you?" Tsuki added.

"Yes I'm here Tsuki, and with wonderful news too!" Sakura announced cheerfully, a bright grin adorning her features as she strode over to Tsuki to check her medications and other things. "Now Tsuki," Sakura started, her tone serious, "I want you to answer my next question truthfully ok?" She waited a few moments only to see Tsuki nod.

"Yes of course." Tsuki answered.

"How much would you like to be able to see?" She asked.

Tsuki's mouth fell open slightly, the question totally catching her off guard.

"Sakura-chan what are yo-" I started, but Sakura cut me off and gave me a serious look, then turned to Tsuki-chan.

Tsuki pressed her lips together tightly, her hands gripping the white hospital bed sheets tightly. "I want to see more than anything…To be able to see the place where I live, to see the people I love, to feel like everyone else…To watch the sun set and rise…" She whispered lastly with a small smile gracing her lips. "I would give anything to be able to see at least just once.." She finished.

Sakura's smile only grew bigger as Tsuki spoke. As soon as Tsuki was finished, Sakura couldn't hide her excitement any longer. "That's great!! Cause Tsunade-sama found a way to give you just that!!" She announced.

My mouth, and Tsuki's, fell open completely after we heard Sakura. "What!? Are you serious Sakura-chan!!??" I yelled in utter disbelief.

Sakura merely nodded eagerly. "Yep! After doing a whole lot of research, Tsunade finally came up with the possibility of giving you the ability to see!" She announced. "The only thing we need if your permission Tsuki-chan."

"That's great!!" I shouted and turned to look at Tsuki to see her brow furrowed slightly.

"Sakura-chan…What are the chances of the surgery being a success?" Tsuki asked quietly, biting her lip tightly.

Sakura's bright energy seemed to darken just a tiny bit. "There's a 64% chance it'll be a success." She stated.

I blinked, my smile fading as I saw Tsuki lower her head, her hair covering her face. "A-Ah! Tsuki-chan that's great though! Remember how I told you about my surgery? I only had a 58% chance of living and look at me, I'm perfectly fine! Well, excluding these current injuries…But still!! Even if it wasn't a success it's not like you'd die right? That's great right?? I think that you-"

"Lee would you please stop your rambling?" Sakura growled quietly underneath her breath.

I opened my mouth to speak, yet stopped turned to Tsuki, along with Sakura, when we heard her murmur something. Our brow's furrowed in confusion as we leaned forward, trying to determine what she was saying.

"I'm sorry Tsuki but we can't hear you.." Sakura stated quietly.

Slowly and carefully, Tsuki lifted her head, tears streaming from her eyes and down her cheeks. "Yes S-Sakura, yes. You have my permission. I want this surgery. M-More than anything." She stuttered, reaching up and wiping the tears from her cheeks.

I smiled softly at the crying, frail looking girl before me, and couldn't help the few tears that escaped from my eyes.

………………………………...........................................................................

' "_Come back in two weeks Lee. We'll know then whether or not the surgery was a success." _Tsunade's voice rang through my head for the thousandth time that day. I nervously bit my lip as I ran quickly to the hospital, yet it seemed like it was taking eternity to get there.

Just this morning, I had checked off the last of the two weeks on my calendar, officially signaling the end of the waiting period.

"Today's the day…Today's the day…Today's the day…" I repeatedly chanted to myself, trying desperately to calm my nerves, yet failed miserably.

Before I knew it, I had arrived at Konoha's Hospital. Taking in a large, deep breath, I walked in.

Nothing. No one. There was no one in the lobby except for the secretary at the desk. _'Obviously. What was I thinking? That'd everyone would be waiting for __me__ in the lobby. They must be in Tsuki-chan's room.' _I thought, letting out a long sigh as I approached the desk.

After signing in, I quickly strode down the long hallways I had seen too many times. My pace, and breath, quickened with each step as I neared Tsuki's room. Just a few seconds later, I stood before her door, standing up straight, as rigid as a rock.

After mentally kicking myself in leg for a few minutes, I finally reached forward, opened the door, and walked it.

I blinked in surprise when I saw Tsunade-sama, Shizune, Sakura-chan, and a few other nurses standing around the room, Tsuki sitting in bed with a small, nervous smile on her face and the bandages wrapped tightly around her head.

"Lee! It's about time you showed up!" Tsunade grumbled, her hands on her hips. "We've been waiting for quite a while for you. Miss Mizumi here wouldn't take off the bandages until you showed." A small smirk played across her lips as she glanced at me, then at Tsuki, wiggling her eye brows in a suggestive motion. Yet she stopped when Shizune lightly hit the Sanin in the arm.

Tsuki had relaxed considerably hearing that I had finally showed up.

I laughed nervously and rubbed the back of my neck as I strode into the room. "Sorry sorry, I didn't mean to be late. I slept in this morning." I stated, a bright grin adorning my lips. I let out a short sigh and turned to look at Tsuki, just now noticing the white bandages around her eyes.

"Alright Tsuki-chan, now that Lee's here, let's take those things off!" Tsunade grinned eagerly as she practically jumped in place, waiting impatiently.

"Yes of course…." Tsuki murmured quietly as she raised her hands, slowly reaching back and untying the bandages around her head.

~Tsuki's POV~

Slowly, I let them fall from my head, revealing my closed eyes. A few seconds later, my foggy blue eyes slowly blinked open, only to be greeted by a bright, blinding light. I instantly shut my eyes and cringed, bringing my hands up to my face, shielding my eyes from the light. "Too bright…." I murmured.

Everyone else waited anxiously as I slowly opened my eyes again, blinking repeatedly as my eyes adjusted to the light, yet still kept a hand on my forehead, above my eyes. Figures stood before me, yet I couldn't make them out clearly just yet. "A little blurry too…" I murmured. Yet after waiting for another minute or two, I felt a big smile cross my lips as tears began to stream down my cheeks. "Oh my god…I-I can see…" I cried quietly, the smile still present on my face as I looked at each and every person in the room, taking in every detail about them.

Everyone was grinning brightly at me, some were crying. A woman with her hair in pigtails stepped forward slightly.

"Tsuki…Congratulations." She smiled softly at me. Almost instantly I recognized her voice as Tsunade's. Next a young girl walked up to me, smiling brightly.

"Oh I'm so glad it worked! Tsuki I'm so happy for you!" The girl I now recognized as Sakura, cheered.

After a few minutes of cheering and praise, everyone but Tsunade, Shizune, Sakura, and the strange boy near the back, were the only ones left in the room.

"Alright Tsuki, I'm gonna let you choose what you want to do first." Tsunade stated. "So what's it gonna be?" She asked.

"I want to go around and see the village." I answered almost instantly, my heartbeat began to race a little bit as I clenched my bed sheets. As soon as I had chosen to do the surgery, I had planned to see the village first thing.

Tsunade nodded in understanding and waved to Shizune. "Alright then, go get a wheelchair for Tsuki."

Almost instantly my smile vanished. "No." I stated, my lip quivering slightly. "I don't want to be taken around in a wheelchair. There's so much I can't do in one of the those, and I have to go around really slow too right?" I asked, only to see Tsunade nod.

"Well then what do you want us to do?" Tsunade asked with a raised eye brow.

Before I had a chance to speak, the strange boy in the back spoke up.

"I shall take Tsuki-chan around the village!!" He yelled, a determined look on his face.

I gasped quietly, smiling softly thinking '_Lee! Yes I was hoping that that was him and that he hadn't left!' _

"And how are you gonna do that?" Tsunade asked, her hands on her hips.

"I'll give her a piggy back ride like before." Rock Lee answered with a big, goofy grin upon his face.

Shizune and Sakura freaked at hearing that Lee had taken me on a piggy back ride, yet, Tsunade merely laughed and smiled.

"Great idea, go for it kid!" She gave Lee a thumbs up.

I smiled as Lee quickly sprinted over, turned his back to me, wrapped my legs around his waist as I wrapped my arms around his neck lightly like before. Before I knew it, Lee sprinted off and out of the hospital room, down the halls, through the lobby, and out the hospital.

………………………………...........................................................................

"Lee!! This is so amazing!!" I shouted as he jumped from roof top to roof top. My eyes were wide as I took in every detail of everything I could.

"I'm so thrilled you think so Tsuki-chan!" Lee shouted back in joy, "Because I'm taking you to a place where you can see the whole village." He added.

In a few minutes we stood atop this large red building, supposedly the Hokage's tower, looking out over the whole village.

"So beautiful….." I murmured as I clung to Lee, a smile still present on my face. My eyes glanced over to my left to see a man and a woman walking next to each other, hand in hand. My brow furrowed in confusion slightly when I saw the woman stand up straight and press her lips against he mans cheeks. The man grinned, his face turning a weird color, the same color as Sakura's hair.

I was brought back into reality as I felt Lee began to walk away. "C'mon Tsuki, there's so much more I want to show you! The training grounds, the river, the forest, maybe I can find Gai-sensei and introduce you two!" He grinned brightly as he began to sprint downstairs.

I gave a small nod as I laid my head on his shoulder comfortably. "Yes of course." I answered, my eyes locked on the sights ahead of us.

After a few minutes of silence, I finally decided to speak. "Lee…Thank you so much. For everything, really…" I whispered to him. Before he could say anything else, I quickly leaned to the side and pressed my lips to his cheek for a short moment before pulling away. I felt him stiffen right after that and glanced at him from the corner of my eyes. His face was the same color as Sakura's hair, yet it was growing darker. His face soon got to the point where it matched the Hokage's tower.

I merely giggled at this, yet didn't understand one bit why his face turned that color.

* * *

**A/N: **All right, well this is another cute little oneshot that I wrote for Quizilla, but since I believe that this is one of my better pieces, I decided to publish it on here. Yes this does take place during Shippuden for those of you that might have accidently skipped that little detail when Lee's watching Sakura. Anyway, I think I did an _ok _job keeping Lee in character, could have done better, but I think I did pretty good. And don't you just think that Lee's such an adorable little sweetheart?? ^^ I think he's just too damn cute! Aside from that, I think this oneshot was really cute. Though I think I rushed the ending a little bit.

Anyway, review if ya liked it, review even if ya didn't like it!


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